MARC Train
}} MARC (Maryland Area Regional Commuter), prior to 1984 known as Maryland Rail Commuter Service, is a commuter rail system comprising three lines in the . MARC is administered by the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA), a Maryland Department of Transportation agency, and is operated under contract with and the National Railroad Passenger Corporation ( ). Brunswick Line The Brunswick Line is MARC's longest line, stretching between and . Brunswick Line trains operate over the CSX Metropolitan, Old Main Line, and Cumberland Subdivisions. Stops on the Brunswick Line are as follows: *Union Station (Washington, D.C.) * * * * * * * * * * * :Frederick Extension: :* :* * * * * * Camden Line The Camden Line runs between and (Camden Station), operating over the . It began operation in 1830, making it the oldest passenger rail line in the U.S. Stops on the Camden Line are as follows: *Union Station (Washington, D.C.) * *College Park, Maryland *Greenbelt, Maryland * * *Laurel Race Track * * * * *Baltimore, Maryland (Camden Station) Penn Line The Penn Line runs between and ] on Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. Stops on the Penn Line are as follows: *Union Station (Washington, D.C.) * * * ( ) * *BWI Airport * * *Baltimore, Maryland (Baltimore Penn Station) * * * * Current Equipment *'Locomotives' **EMD/ASEA AEM-7 **Bombardier-Alstom HHP-8 **EMD GP40WH-2 **EMD GP39H-2 *'Passenger Cars' **Kawasaki Bi-Level **Pullman'Gallery' Bi-Level ** /Sumitomo Single Level *'Passenger Cab Cars' **Kawasaki Bi-Level ** /Sumitomo Single Level As the Penn Line is the only electrified MARC line, the AEM-7 and HHP-8 are restricted to only that line. The majority of the Kawasaki cars are operated on the Penn Line, and the Pullman cars are only operated on Brunswick Line trains to Martinsburg. All MARC trains are operated with a cab car, from which the engineer can control the train. The cab car is always at the head of trains travelling toward Washington D.C., and the locomotive is at the head of trains heading away from Washington. Connections to other rail and transportation services Several of MARC's stations are shared with or are short distances from other rail and transit services: *At Union Station, the Washington terminus of all three MARC lines, passengers can transfer to trains, Virginia Railway Express commuter trains, or to the Washington Metro Red Line. *At Rockville and Silver Spring on the Brunswick Line, passengers can transfer to the Washington Metro Red Line. *At Greenbelt and College Park on the Camden Line, passengers can transfer to the Washington Metro Green Line. *At College Park on the Camden Line, passengers can transfer to Shuttle-UM, the bus service serving the area in and around the , which is located approximately one mile from the MARC station. *At New Carrollton on the Penn Line, passengers can transfer to the Washington Metro Orange Line, and to Amtrak trains. *At both Camden and Penn Stations, the Baltimore termini of the Camden and Penn Lines, passengers can transfer to the Baltimore Light Rail; at Penn Station, they can additionally transfer to Amtrak trains. The station is close to (BWI), though not actually in the terminal itself; a free shuttle bus carries passengers from the station to the terminal every 10 minutes between 5 AM and 1 AM and every 25 minutes between 1 AM and 5 AM. February 1996 Brunswick Line Crash On February 16, 1996, during the Friday-evening rush hour, an eastbound MARC train headed to Washington Union Station collided with the westbound headed to via ]. The collision occured near Georgetown Junction on a snow-swept stretch of track just west of . The crash left 11 people dead aboard the MARC train. Three died of injuries suffered in the impact, with the rest killed by smoke and flames; the MARC engineer and two conductors were among the dead. The NTSB report concluded that the MARC crew apparently forgot the restricting signal aspect of the Kensington CPL's (color position lights) after making a flag stop at Kensington Station. The engineer of the Capitol Limited also apparently increased speed rather than braking in an attempt to make the crossover. The MARC train was operating in push mode with the cab control car out front. The Amtrak locomotive was in the crossover when they hit, the MARC car collided with the second unit, an , rupturing its fuel tank and igniting the fire that caused most of the casualties. The lead unit was a P40DC, a newer unit which has it's fuel tank shielded in the center of the frame, so a few seconds difference might have avoided the fire. The official investigation also suggests that the accident might have been prevented if a human-factors analysis had been conducted when modifications to the track signaling system were made in 1985. Proposed March 2006 Station Closures In January 2006, it was announced that four MARC stations would be closed in early March due to low patronage: *St. Denis (Camden line) *Jessup (Camden line) *Dickerson (Brunswick line) *Boyds (Brunswick line) At the time, the combined average daily ridership of these stations was 41 passengers. A group of Maryland state senators co-authored an emergency bill that would force the stations to remain open. The then-Maryland Secretary of Transportation, , decided to keep the stations open in anticipation of the bill's passing. External links * Maryland Transit Administration * MARC System Map * MARC Current Train Status Using GPS Technology * MARC Railfan Site * MARC Photos * NTSB publications about 1996 accident * Complete Story of MARC Accident * Railfanning.org: MARC Profile